7 Reasons why WWE Should bring back Halloween Havoc

Before the advent of Starrcade and WrestleMania, the idea of a yearly wrestling pay-per-view was mostly scoffed at. While there were some pay-per-view events, such as the Wrestling Classic, a tournament format presentation by the WWE, until WrestleMania and Starrcade became established brands it was considered a risky investment. But, WrestleMania proved to be a smash hit, which led to WWE experimenting with more pay-per-views.

In order to capitalize on the biggest audience possible, promoters often chose particular holidays to center their pay-per-view around. Starrcade, for example, took place around Christmas, with the idea that children off from school for the holiday will demand entertainment from their parents. Likewise, Survivor Series was meant to be associated with Thanksgiving, again hoping to cash in on a captive audience.

Soon there were multiple pay-per-view in competition with each other. During the summer months WWE presented SummerSlam while NWA put on The Great American Bash. In order to capitalize on a holiday which WWE wasn't already encroaching upon, the NWA chose Halloween. The holiday loosely descends from All Hollow's Eve, a European tradition in which children dress up as witches and demons to blend in with the monsters who are allowed free reign upon the Earth for that one night a year.

It has become a ritual involving elaborate costumes and candy, and even adults get in on the act. NWA presented its first Halloween Havoc on October 28, 1989, from the Philadelphia Civic Center. The main event was a first of its kind, a Thunderdome match which included a thirty-foot high domed cage with electrified wire.

Sting and the Nature Boy Ric Flair battled against the Great Muta and Terry Funk in the main event. The event marked a departure for the NWA who normally eschewed gimmick matches except in rare circumstances. After the success of the first Halloween Havoc, NWA would return with the event next year. The tradition continued even after Ted Turner purchased JCP and turned the promotion into WCW.

Unfortunately, the Halloween Havoc franchise died with a whimper in 2000, when the main event featured Kronik vs. Goldberg in a handicap match. Now that the WWE owns the rights to the Halloween Havoc name, should they bring it back to the modern era? Here are ten reasons why WWE should resurrect the Halloween Havoc pay per view.

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#7 A holiday-themed event lends a festival like atmosphere

The stage set up for Halloween Havoc in 1999.

Holidays are a special time meant for celebration. Many wrestling fans in North America will watch numerous Christmas themed movies or attend pageants, so extending this mentality to Halloween should be a safe bet.

Halloween in the United States has suffered something of a stigma because of fears that children will be abducted or poisoned during the trick or treating ritual. Why not keep those children safely at home and watching Halloween Havoc instead?

#6 Halloween Havoc would break the chain of recycled pay per views every October

WWE hasn't been consistent with the timing of the Hell in a Cell pay per view.

In the last several years, WWE has not settled upon a theme for their October pay-per-views. For six years running, WWE featured the Hell in a Cell pay per view around Halloween. Perhaps this was an effort to recapture the magic of the Thunderdome match.

It seemed somehow apropos to feature a grueling cage match during Halloween time. However, ever since 2018, WWE has been putting on different events with no true theme. In 2018 they put on Evolution, which was a fine pay-per-view but not really in keeping with the Halloween season tradition.

With Hell in a Cell now firmly entrenched a month earlier, WWE can bring back that Halloween magic by resurrecting Halloween Havoc for the modern wrestling fans.

#5 It could be a great venue for unusual gimmick matches

A casket match at Halloween Havoc is just a no brainer.

At one time, WWE was awash in various gimmick matches. There were hog slop matches, in which the main objective seemed to involve getting your opponent doused in pig filth rather than pinning their shoulders for a one two three. Then there were Lumberjack matches, in which many superstars surrounded the ring, ostensibly to throw the participants back inside if they tried to escape.

And there was the casket match, which is mainly associated with The Undertaker. In a casket match, you must beat your opponent badly enough that you can toss them into a casket and shut the lid. In 2008, WWE stopped having casket matches, and would not resurrect the variant until 2015. The last casket match was between Rusev and Undertaker at the Greatest Royal Rumble.

What better venue for a casket match, or a Thunderdome match, could there be than Halloween Havoc? It would be a great place to put these type of gimmick matches so they retained their special and unusual feel.

#4 Nostalgia will draw in the fans

Many long-time wrestling fans still mourn the death of World Championship Wrestling.

All you have to do is read any brand of social media to find legions upon legions of wrestling fans who staunchly believe that the wrestling they grew up watching is somehow better than what is on today.

It doesn't matter if the promotion is Mid South, the NWA, or others, there will always be people who carry a torch for what has been left behind.

In particular, there is a lot of WCW/NWA nostalgia at work on the social media pages of wrestling fans. Bringing back Halloween Havoc would be a way to cash in on the nostalgia and remembrance of these long time wrestling fans.

Even fans who never watched the old WCW events might be intrigued enough by a revival of Halloween Havoc to tune in and see what all of the fuss was about.

#3 There's a tradition of great matches to be upheld—and redeemed

The Slobber Knocker between Cactus Jack (Mick Foley) and Big Van Vader was a highlight of wrestling in 1993.

Halloween Havoc has featured a veritable who's who list of wrestling superstars and legends. In just the first Halloween Havoc, you have three hall of fame members; Sting, The Nature Boy Ric Flair, and the Hardcore Legend Terry Funk.

Other luminaries who participated in the Halloween Havoc events are some of the most beloved names in sports entertainment. WWE Hall of Famer Jake "The Snake" Roberts took on Sting in the only coal miner's glove match of the modern era. Big Van Vader and Cactus Jack beat each other half to death in a Texas Death Match.

Then there was the fated reunion of Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior, which evened up their series one to one. In short, there are so many great matches and great wrestlers involved with the Halloween Havoc pay per view that it has a legacy all of its own.

Of course, there are some real stinkers on the list, too, like Kronik vs. Goldberg. That legacy needs to be redeemed as well.

#2 Halloween Havoc appeals to the Latin American fanbase

In Mexico, El Dia De Los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, is celebrated on Halloween and several days after.

One of the things that WWE has done for many years as part of their market strategy is to court the Latin American wrestling fans. This is a wise decision since they are one of the fastest growing groups in the continental USA.

This is why there is always a slew of Latino stars in WWE. Men like Rey Mysterio, Alberto Del Rio, and Andrade have all been part of WWE programming in hopes that they could help WWE capture the hearts of this key demographic of the WWE Universe.

A major holiday in Mexico is the Day of the Dead festival, which is inexorably intertwined with Halloween. Having an El Dia De Los Muertos vibe in a revived Halloween Havoc franchise could help the WWE bolster their legions of Latin American fans.

#1 Halloween Havoc is a nice compliment to WWE's other seasonal pay-per-views

Goldberg and Ultimate Warrior in a promotional poster for Halloween Havoc.

Survivor Series is meant to be a Thanksgiving tradition. SummerSlam celebrates the Summer Equinox. Even WrestleMania is meant to help celebrate the spring and dawn of a new era.

Halloween Havoc fits right in with these other seasonal pay per view events. Just as Survivor Series has become a venerable tradition, so too can Halloween Havoc join the ranks of pay-per-views which fans eagerly anticipate each and every year.

While Halloween Havoc will never be WWE's 'main' or flagship pay-per-views—that honor goes to WrestleMania--it could still fill a vital niche in the parade of special pay per view events the WWE puts on each and every year.

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There you have it: Seven reasons WWE should bring Halloween Havoc into the modern wrestling era. Questions or comments? Please leave them after the article and as always thanks for reading!